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2.27.2010

With four children in the house, I must have scrambled at least a few hundred dozens of eggs. Often, my scrambled eggs weep with liquid like one of my kids having a bad day or become a yellow shredded mess. But thanks to tips from Cooks Illustrated magazine, now I can make fluffy, tender scrambled eggs. Here is how.

1. Use the thermometer. Oil temperature is critical. Even when you are an experienced cook, it is hard to gauge the correct temperature. Oil temperature should be at least 350 degrees F for denser meat like chicken and 375 degrees if you are frying fish, french fries, and such.

2. Do not over crowd the fryer. Over crowding lowers the oil temperature too quickly because cooking energy is absorbed into uncooked foods. Frying below recommended temp will cause to lose crispiness.

3. Place fried foods on a wire rack. This way moisture won't be trapped underneath creating steam and making foods soggy. Do not double stack any fried foods either, for the same reason.If you are serving a large volume of fried foods at the same time, it can be fried up to an hour ahead and kept in room temperature on a wire rack. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and "flash heat" the food for 6-7 minutes. Crispy texture is compromised just a bit, but it will be better than having diners wait.(Fried Catfish Fillets)

2.25.2010

A good salad is a prelude to a great meal. This dressing has a bit of heat that makes you want more!

Using a blender is a quick and easy way to make most salad dressings.

Here are two of my favorite hot sauces I use to give heat to food. Unlike Tabasco, which is based with vinegar, these sauces are pureed peppers and have cleaner taste and lasting heat. Can be purchased in Asian food markets or your grocery store.

Using sweet colored peppers give this dressing more vibrant color and sweeter taste than using green bell peppers.

Mix all the ingredients well and make into 5-6 oz patties. Heat a non-stick frying pan almost to smoking point, put a tablespoon of canola oil, and sear the patties, pressing down lightly with a spatula. Transfer patties to a jelly roll pan and finish cooking in oven for 8-10 minutes. Top with Swiss and melt the cheese for 1-2 minutes. Serve on a hearty Kaiser roll with your favorite garnishing.

Do ahead Gumbo base can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring base to simmer before continuing.

Add shrimp to pot and cook shrimp until just opaque in center, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with minced parsley and serve with steamed rice alongside.

Blend first 7 ingredients and 1/2 cup oil in processor or blender. With machine running, add remaining 1/2 cup oil; process until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.

2.20.2010

How hard could it be to boil some eggs? I found out when I needed to make 200 deviled eggs for a Bar Mitzvah luncheon several years ago. Egg shells stuck and the yolks turned grey-ish that I did not have one smooth-skinned boiled egg after peeling! I ended up making mini-egg salad sandwiches instead, lots of them!

Here is a fool-proof was to ensure you have perfectly cooked eggs, every time.
1.Place eggs in a pan or a pot, in a single layer, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat.

2.Remove pan from heat, cover, and set a timer on for 11 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent). Transfer eggs to ice water bath; let sit 10 minutes.

3.After the eggs cool. Crack and drop in boiling water for just a couple of seconds, which will cause the shell to expand and allow for perfect removal.

On a baking sheet spread one side of each slice of toast with half the remoulade mixture, top each roll with slices of the ham, the other half with Swiss cheese, asparagus. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle extra remoulade sauce. Broil the sandwiches under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned lightly.

2. Spread cheese, ham, bacon, and blanched asparagus evenly over bottom of warm pie shell and set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2-inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean, and center feels set but soft like gelatin, 32 to 35 minutes. Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1. Mix flour, salt and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with some flour. cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into two balls with your hands, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disks. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.

2.15.2010

This was served for Sunday Night Valentines Day Dinner; my daughter's favorite pork dish. Original recipe uses beef tenderloin, which is superb with pesto crust, but since one cannot feed 300 people such expensive meat, I changed it to pork loin and it works great!

Trim most of the fat and silver skin off the loin. Rub salt, sugar, and pepper mixture well. Bring meat to room temperature before roasting.

After roasting 20 minutes in high heat, rub pesto on.

Then, cheese and bread crumb mixture.

Back into oven until internal temperature reaches about 135-140 degrees. Tent meat with foil and let rest for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing.

1. Tuck tail of loin under and tie roast. Combine 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, and sugar in small bowl and rub all over pork loin. Transfer loin to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

2.06.2010

My mother bought 8 pounds of sliced rib eye and made this fantastic dish for 12 hungry teenagers and chaperons when we were in Atlanta for Teen Pact conference. It was a huge hit! Here is the recipe you requested, Celesta!

The key to a good Korean Beef dish is the meat you purchase. THINLY sliced rib eye is sold in Korean/Asian markets. If not, you will need to flash freeze the meat first so that you can slice it very thinly.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Thaw meat completely and combine marinade into meat. Use your hand to incorporate mixture well. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Using largest non-stick frying pan, pre-heat pan until smoking point. No oil needed. Put small handful of meat and flash saute the meat in batches, small specks of uncooked meat is fine since the meat will continue to cook. Quick hot heat is best.

Do not put too much meat on pan where it will steam! The meat will cook too long and will become very chewy.

Note: If you want to add veggies as shown in photo, saute them separately and then add to the meat later before serving.

2.05.2010

Here is a wonderful Freezer Meaty Lasagna recipe. Whenever I go on a vacation or a mission trip and cannot prep for Sunday meal, I make these ahead and freeze.

If you able to find Ronzoni No Boil lasagna noodles, the ones with little ripples, not the flat sheet, they are the best ones to assemble and freeze. Other brands of no boil pasta sheets are too thick and gummy after baked. I use these disposable half pans when freezing for easy clean up later. Lasagna is baked frozen, do not thaw ahead. Put hot water between pans before baking for even temperature to avoid over baking on the sides. Bake with foil cover off until you see little dark specks of cooked cheese, then cover with foil and finish baking. This extra step will ensure that foil will not stick to top layer of mozzarella resulting in a beautiful top.

1. For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, add ground meats, salt, and pepper, and cook, breaking meat into small pieces, until meat is no longer pink but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and basil and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors blend, about 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cool sauce for 20 minutes, then refrigerate until cool, at least 20 minutes.

3. Spray large sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and tightly cover lasagna. Wrap with plastic wrap several times and cover with another layer of foil. Freeze.

4. When ready to serve: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove all wrapping except foil layer that is flush against lasagna. Put another pan with hot water in between two pans. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, then remove foil. Continue baking until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes. Serve.